Cleveland Browns-Atlanta Falcons primer: Browns head south in search of good vibes

ATLANTA − It's been a week in Berea. Considering the last two-plus decades, or even two-plus months, that's saying something.

So it may just be the perfect time for the Browns to get on a plane and get out of town. They'll try to improve to 3-1 on the season when they take on the 1-2 Atlanta Falcons inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.

There's a very good chance when they do, they'll be without not one, but two All-Pro defensive ends in Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett. It's the latter's status which essentially threw the entire week into turmoil when he rolled his Porsche over after leaving the facility on Monday.

The Browns officially ruled Garrett out Saturday afternoon before departing for Georgia, although there was no immediate change to Clowney's status. They managed to assuage fears on Friday about two other starters, cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who will play despite having missed some practice time this week with injuries.

That's the backdrop against which there will be a game the Browns know they must win to maintain the kind fast start they hoped to get off to before the schedule gets substantially tougher going deeper into October. They must also do it against a Falcons team that, while only 1-2, possesses an exciting offense with multiple threats both on the ground and through the air.

If they can take care of that Atlanta team, it would provide just the kind of salve the Browns needed to soothe what has been, in a lot of ways, their latest Week from Hell.

Matchup to watch: Browns LG Joel Bitono, C Ethan Pocic, RG Wyatt Teller vs. Falcons DT Grady Jarrett

An interior line battle? Absolutely. Three of the four players mentioned may be among the best in the NFL at their respective positions. The pulling ability of Bitonio and Teller has been central to the success of the Browns' league-best rushing attack, while Pocic has been steady since taking over the center position mid-August.

Jarrett, meanwhile, is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league. The eighth-year pro and two-time Pro Bowler is capable of making life miserable on interior linemen.

So what you really have here is a strength vs. strength. The Browns know they have to run the ball in order to be successful. The Falcons know the Browns have to run the ball in order to be successful.

Thus, an interior line battle that may very well determine who wins this football game.

Cleveland Browns player to watch: RB Nick Chubb

The last time Chubb played a meaningful game inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, his University of Georgia team was a second-and-25 defensive stop in overtime from winning a national championship. Could the Georgia native find motivation in returning to the site of that disappointment? Who knows? Chubb hardly lets anyone know exactly what he's feeling in a given moment. All that one does know is that no one in the NFL has run the ball better than Chubb, who leads the league with 341 rushing yards and is tied for the lead with four rushing touchdowns. The deeper into the game it gets, the better Chubb seems to get as well.

Atlanta Falcons player to watch: QB Marcus Mariota

There's been plenty of talk this week about receiver-turned-tailback Cordarrelle Patterson. A lot conversation has also centered around the "unicorn" tight end, Kyle Pitts, and the first-round receiver Drake London. Yet, central to the Falcons' offense is the guy taking the snaps from center. Mariota's the key to the run-pass option component to Atlanta's offense. It's not just his arm, which has thrown for 640 yards and three touchdowns in three games, but it's what his legs can do that makes him especially dangerous. The former Heisman Trophy winner can extend plays in a way similar to, but not quite exactly like, Baltimore's Lamar Jackson. That makes a defense have to be extra careful in its rush lanes. Allow Mariota to get outside, and he might burn you with a run or a flick of the wrist to one of his dangerous targets.

Three numbers: Jacoby Brissett's strong start tied to strong completion percentage

66.3

There's a lot of numbers that show the kind of quarterback play the Browns have received from Jacoby Brissett through the first three games of the season. None may better showcase that than his completion percentage, which ranks 10th in the NFL. Brissett has completed 61-of-92 passes so far this season for 596 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. In each of the last two games, he has put together a stretch where he's had an impressive stretch of completed passes. He completed 10 in a row between the second and third quarters against Pittsburgh, He completed 16 of his first 17 against New York. That ability to connect with his receivers, especially Amari Cooper, has gone a long way to taking the Browns offense to even higher levels.

131

Barring something completely unforeseen, Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews will be making his 131st consecutive start, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. That total, which dates back to his rookie season in 2014, is third-best in Atlanta franchise history behind Matt Ryan's 147 starts from 2009-19 and Todd McClure's 144 from 2001-10. The former Pro Bowler is the nephew of former Browns and Falcons star linebacker Clay Matthews Jr.

12-3

The Browns have owned the all-time series against the Falcons, regardless of whether it was the original franchise or the new version. From 1966-93, Cleveland was 8-2 against Atlanta, including a six-game win streak in the series. Since the Browns' 1999 rebirth, they've won four of five, including the last two in a row. Cleveland is 6-2 all-time at home against the Falcons, and 6-1 all-time in Atlanta.

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns look to find good vibe with trip to face Atlanta